Читать книгу Launching Your Autistic Youth to Successful Adulthood - Katharina Manassis - Страница 18

By the time your autistic youth approaches adulthood, you may be nearing exhaustion as a parent. It is tempting to turn further progress over to professionals. These might include educators, educational consultants, employment counselors, physicians, psychologists, social workers with autism expertise, or nurse practitioners focused on this population. This may make sense if: the relationship with your son or daughter is strained, especially when you encourage them to try something new; you are overwhelmed by the prospect of more work with them; they consistently withdraw when you try to set goals. In these situations, a professional may be able to engage with the young person on a more positive note than you can, eliciting at least some cooperation. A professional may also be able to help “sort the forest from the trees” and identify what really matters to the young person and to your family, both short term and long term.

Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to hire a professional, and some professionals are more helpful or more experienced with ASD than others. Even the best professionals are often limited in the scope of their activities. Commonly, for example, a professional may provide a consultation on the young person’s problems and make recommendations for addressing them, but without follow-up to ensure that the recommendations are implemented or are even feasible. Some professionals also limit their involvement to regular business hours, which is not helpful when young people who rely on them run into difficulty on weekends or after hours. Some autistic youth also respond better to familiar adults like parents than to unfamiliar adults, or take months before warming up to a new professional. For all of these reasons, parents who have a good relationship with their autistic youth and at least some energy to continue working with them should probably do so. Professionals can help from time to time but, to quote an old adage, ultimately “blood is thicker than water.”